Forum: Author Hangout

But ... but ... nothing happened

Parthenogenesis 🚫

I'm trying real hard to keep up with Jay Cantrell's Runaway Train, but it's becoming more difficult with each chapter. Why? Nothing happens in the lengthy chapters. Lotta sex, but no story. Heaps and heaps of potatoes, and no meat.

A chapter has to advance either the plot or the characters. If neither of those things happens, then all you have is a lot of words.

Alas, I'm having a lot of trouble with Kid Wigger's Code Monkey, too. It's obvious where the plot's going, and I want to see what happens, but it's taking FOREVER and an incredible amount of potatoes to get there.

Replies: graybyrd Ross at Play awnlee jawking

El_Sol 🚫

But there are soooo many kinds of potatoes.

Mashed...

Mashed with garlic.

Mashed with mojo

Mashed with skin in it.

And gravy...

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@El_Sol

But there are soooo many kinds of potatoes.

baked,

double cooked

fried

roasted

and carved raw to make musical instruments.

graybyrd 🚫

@Parthenogenesis

Patience, Grasshopper, patience! The couple is striving to find a foundation for their relationship; Travis & Liz are both adults with a lot of history. It takes time to hammer down the rough edges. Meanwhile, a little (lot?) of recreational humpty-bumpty serves as a diversion ... ?

I've said it right to the author's face: "Code Monkey" is the world's biggest, slowest, hang-fire cliff-hanger ever written. Meanwhile, all the detail and character building is a pure delight. I trust we'll get wherever it's going in... another year or two. Meanwhile, there's sure no lack of hints, clues, and red herrings!

My problem is keeping track of all them characters on the ship ... ye gods! Can't follow the bloody play without a program...

Ross at Play 🚫

@Parthenogenesis

I've no objections to your comments, but they belong in the 'Story Discussion and Feedback' section, rather than the "Author Hangout'.

docholladay 🚫

And to top it all off. As a reader you still have the option to not read the stories. Heck you don't even have to use an excuse. If they offend you that much then just stop reading them.

Replies: Parthenogenesis

Parthenogenesis 🚫

@docholladay

Well, dang. Did you ever have one of those days when you just couldn't do anything right?

Replies: Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach 🚫

@Parthenogenesis

Well, dang. Did you ever have one of those days when you just couldn't do anything right?

Frequently.

bb

Replies: docholladay

docholladay 🚫

@Bondi Beach

@Parthenogenesis

Well, dang. Did you ever have one of those days when you just couldn't do anything right?

Frequently.

bb

Too often to bother to keep track.

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@docholladay

Too often to bother to keep track.

I'd keep track, of all the times I screw up, but I can never manage to keep the details straight! :-D

Replies: docholladay

docholladay 🚫

@Vincent Berg

I'd keep track, of all the times I screw up, but I can never manage to keep the details straight! :-D

Funny part is I tend to learn more from my screw ups, than any other method I can think of.

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@docholladay

Funny part is I tend to learn more from my screw ups, than any other method I can think of.

At least you learn. Most people, when they screw up, learn nothing, repeating the same mistakes again and again. :(

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Parthenogenesis

I really liked the first half of 'Unforgettable Weeks' then it descended into the same sort of malaise that afflicts 'Runaway Train'.

The spelling and grammar etc are fine and it's still a very readable story but it only merits a single star in my rating system.

AJ

Replies: graybyrd

graybyrd 🚫

@awnlee jawking

I think we'll agree to disagree; I like the full range of plot development. Yeh, the pacing is a bit slow, but it's a fully-developed story.

Where I award the 'single star' is to the shallow action tale where the hero comes to town, f*cks the women, kills the bad guys, and leaves. --OR-- in today's contra-culture movement, the hero comes to town, kills the women, f*cks the bad guys, and runs for Governor.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@graybyrd

I think we'll agree to disagree;

If we all liked the same stories, the world would be a very boring place.

I've just read the latest instalment from TechnicDragon. Three stars (the maximum) in my opinion.

AJ

richardshagrin 🚫

With some exceptions, I tend to wait until the story is complete before starting to read it. There are a lot of good, older stories that are complete, or we can be fairly sure there won't be any more chapters for the good incomplete ones. Occasional exceptions like Dman 3 (hope springs eternal) but if you are limited to 16 stories a day like many of us, don't use a story slot for just a chapter. Fortunately Fine Stories and now Science Fiction Stories (note I am not using SCI-FI, a totally unauthorized abbreviation) give us options for places to go and things to read if we run out of slots on SOL. And there are a few other sites, if you are really desperate. Some of your favorite authors on SOL may have their own sites or places on ASSTR (like Apache) where you can review them free of charge. If you feel you must read stories a chapter at a time as they are posted, God bless you. Perhaps you have a premier membership and help pay for the site. I hope to buy one after my house sells and I am wealthy. Until then, be parsimonious with your 16 slots, wait until stories are completely posted before reading. Especially if the author tells you how many chapters there will be, why read chapter 1 of 233?

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Forum: Author Hangout

But ... but ... nothing happened

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